Indie Wednesday: Leigh Deleonardo of Union Handmade

When I was putting together the post about stores to shop in Northcenter, I stumbled upon the new kid on the block Union Handmade. Once I started talking to Union Handmade's driving force, Leigh Deleonardo, I knew she would be a perfect candidate for an Indie Wednesday post. When it comes to indie businesses, Leigh is a double threat. Not only does Leigh have her own line of clothing but she's putting together Union Handmade to offer other small designers an opportunity to put their wares in front of customers. In this Indie Wednesday profile, Leigh talks about the process that led her to open Union Handmade, offers advice to other small retailers and dreams big about how she'd spend $50k on her business.

Name: Leigh Deleonardo

When did you open Union Handmade? September 20th 2013

What was the inspiration for opening the store? Made To Fit, my first store, was the inspiration for Union Handmade. As a clothing designer it can be hard on the creative spirit to participate in the wholesale fashion industry. After several years of selling to large department stores like Saks, Nordstrom and Marshal Field's I decided, in 1994, to open my own store, Made To Fit, in Chicago. I closed it in 1998 to focus on my new family. Union Handmade works the same way Made To Fit worked: I gather talented makers who pay a share of rent and take turns working at the store in exchange for retail space and I take a very small commission: 10%.

What did you do before you started this business? After closing my first store I focused on raising our fabulous daughter, channeling June Cleaver and waiting until I was ready to open another store. I kept my creative energy alive by making burdensome heirlooms for my daughter.

How do you discover new designers to carry in your store? As the anchor collection I wanted to find work that would support my line of natural, timeless, trend-free women's wear. My line ranges from casual to professional cuts made of fine, imported, natural fabrics in an earthy palate. To support and elaborate on those qualities I drew upon the talented designers whose work I already appreciated, some of whom were with me at Made to Fit. The first person I called was my dear friend Susan Hahn, the force behind Auntie Oti: a collection of handmade Indian textiles. Even though she lives in New York I wanted us to find a way for her to be involved in the store, and we have. I also called Annie Andrews first thing. Without Annie I may not have opened the store at all. She is a manager and our other clothing designer. Her beautiful work has always been a good complement to mine. I called upon Kara Hetz next, who used to occasionally model for me at Made to Fit. Kara is also a manager and one of our two brilliant jewelers: I've admired her work for years. When Jamie LaPorta agreed to get involved as our creative director/consultant in addition to being  our knitwear designer under the Ruby Bohannon label I felt we had an unstoppable group. Within a few months I had 9 designers on board which was a great start.  In addition to the above we had: Laura Whitlock's beautiful millinery, Katie Mill's exquisite jewelry, Bethany Nelson's most excellent bags and textiles and Nancy Melvin's mercurial textile arts.(Nancy can and does make just about everything.) I knew that once we were open it would be much easier to attract other members.  We have inquiries almost every day. Jamie works with me to carefully select lines that fit well with what we're about: beautiful design, made by hand with quality and integrity.

Who is your biggest inspiration as a small business owner? My dad, John Deleonardo. He owned the local Chevy-Olds dealership in my hometown and had a spotless reputation. He taught me about having integrity and believing in what you are offering. He understood that if you push someone into buying something that isn't right for them, or don't back up what you've sold, folks won't come back and they won't spread a good word. He also taught me that you need to feel good about what you do. He would be extremely happy about Union Handmade. Jamie LaPorta and Susan Hahn have always been, and continue to be, amazing inspirations and teachers as well. They both have strong, unerring vision and their guidance has been pivotal in so many ways.

What are the advantages of supporting indie retailers? We all have to support the world we want to live in or it goes away. We can choose to live in a world full of strip malls and corporate chains or a world full of lovely little shops offering unique and unexpected treasures. Our shopping choices may seem trivial at first glance but in fact they have a huge impact on the world we live in. Our dollars have a mighty power behind them. They determine whether or not the products we buy involve cruelty, pollute the environment, take advantage of other people, etc. The items that we see on store shelves have hidden stories behind them.  When you buy from an indie retailer the chances are high that the story is a good one. Independent retailers often support small makers. Small makers support other small makers. I work with 4 tiny sewing contractors and 1 cutter who all count on me, to a degree, for their livelihood as I count on them to do beautiful work. They are essentially partners. I pay them well and treat them with the respect they deserve as artisans and as people. Small makers tend to have integrity about the materials they use and the way they treat the people who support them. My buttons, for instance, are all natural, hand-made and fairly traded.

What's your advice to someone launching a new retail venture? Anyone opening a new store should have a Robert Rud (our brilliant interior designer and guardian angel), a Greg Walker (our intrepid investor and fixtures hunter/refurbishing wiz) and a Jamie LaPorta (our creative director and guiding light). In other words: an incredible team of brilliant people who know what they're doing. When I opened Made to Fit I was pretty much a one woman show and I made many mistakes and dropped many balls that a good team would have been on top of. I wanted to be in control of everything. I learned through that experience to trust and rely upon others, even if it means letting go of some control.  The four of us have worked incredibly well together and each of us has brought our own strengths to the mix. Great landlords are a huge plus too. In fact I would say that making sure your landlord is supportive and honorable is more important than how nice the space is and, to a degree, the location. Dishonest or greedy landlords can have a serious impact on a business.

If an angel investor dropped $50,000 on you, how would you invest it in your business? I would love to develop a student lab at Union Handmade.  A place for new designers to receive hands-on training and launch their collections. I'd use some of it to repay the above mentioned team for all their hard, often unpaid, work. It would create such strong positive energy to give back to those who did so much to help make Union Handmade happen. Some would also be spent on fabric buying trips to Italy. Great fabric is so hard to find since my yardage quantities are so small. I think a beautiful web site with great photography would be money well spent, too.

Go see Union Handmade and all of their wonderful indie designs at:
3860 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60613

Images: 1. Union Handmade. All others: Jason Loper